The Stalking Rule

Here's some good advice that I'm posting for public consumption, to help others who, like me, occasionally suffer from the tendency to not let things go with grace.

Here's a good rule to consider when you're trying to get in contact with someone who's not getting back to you:  Make three deliberate, straightforward attempts to get in contact with them.  Send them an e-mail to an address you know they check, leave a response in a blog or FaceBook account to which they frequently post, call and leave a voice mail, send a text message, etc.  Doesn't matter how you do it, just make three serious attempts to contact them.

If, after that, they don't get back to you, everything past that should be considered stalking and should be avoided at all costs.  In addition to keeping you from getting creepy, it may also help you maintain a scrap or two of dignity.  Or not, but that's up to you and what kind of messages you leave.